Yuzu, Pyrmont

Craving for some sushi & sashimi for dinner on one warm Saturday night, we walked down to Yuzu which is only a stone throw away from where I lived. 

Yuzu first opened back in 2009 - back then katsu-sando (pork katsu sandwich) was on the menu and the complimentary appetizer was a deep fried prawn ball served in dashi broth with strawberries.

Yep....strawberries....

See...strawberries....

Since then there has been a few changes in management and the menu changes with it.

The current owner would have to be the 3rd one , at least that I know of. 

I'm usually not a big fan of Korean run Japanese eateries as there is always the high possibility that the food will stray far from what is is supposed to be in terms of the flavours. 

But I must say that the foods at Yuzu, though may not be 100% authentic Japanese, the flavours do most of the time stays within track.

Yuzu Tea  $2.50/person (refillable)

Naturally at Yuzu, yuzu tea or yujacha in Korean is on the menu. 

You can buy them in Korean groceries stores in a jar, made of thinly sliced yuzu, rind and fruit, mixed with sugar and honey to make a thick and very sticky syrup.

Making up the drink can't get more easier, add as much or little as you want to hot water. 

I love to drink it during winter time :)

Snapper Carpaccio  $18.00
(daily special)

Whilst the regular menu is pretty average, the daily special board had a list of more interesting dishes. 

The snapper carpaccio came with interesting accompaniments - fried brussel sprout leaves ??

Surprisingly the nutty flavour of the sprouts really goes well with the sweeter flavour of the mandarin segments and the sour dressing of yuzu and mandarin rind. 

Some pieces of the snapper sashimi are a bit sinewy, which was a pity but it was still a delicious combination of flavours. 

Onsentama Salad  $14.00
(daily special)

Onsen tamago got its name from how it was prepared, slowly cooked under the constant warm temperature of onsen (hot spring) water. It may take longer than boiling an egg but what you get at the end are perfectly half cooked egg with oozing yolk and slippery whites. 

How To - Onsentama Salad

After waiting ever so patiently for me to take photos of the salad, Ken, our waiter continued with preparing the salad for us.

Break the egss and toss it up and down, left and righ. 

Mixed and Ready

It may not look appetizing, but the salad were goooddd......

Mixed salad leaves, with chuka wakame (more commonly known as seaweed salad), cubed avocado, light citrusy dressing and onsen tamago.

The egg just made it creamy but still refreshing, a simple combination that worked well. 

Volcano Roll  $16.00
inside out roll w/ calamari tempura, cucumber, crunchy batter & wasabi mayo

I think one of Yuzu's specialties are their rolls - I usually have their Rainbow Roll (inside out roll with salmon, tuna, king fish, prawn, avocado and wasabi mayo) for takeaways and they have never failed so far - there were generous amount of sashimi and not too much rice, which is the right balance ;)

But today, we opted for something different :

Up close & personal w/ volcano roll

The calamari tempura was so tender accompanied by the contrasting textures of the crunchy batter and cucumber.

Served with a generous amount of wasabi mayo, some kind of sweet sauce (teriyaki-ish ?), flying fish roe and sprinkling of togarashi (chilli pepper). 

We were warned that this is a spicy roll, but it is not spicy at all for us :P

Kakuni  $24.00
(daily special)

Under the understanding that kakuni will always be made with pork belly, there was a slight sadness when this dish came out. Where is my fatty bits ??? T____T

This kakuni must be made from pig that has been on strict diet T____T

Sadness apart, the meat was very flavorful thought I thought it could be more tender (some fat would help isn't it ? LOL). 

Love the renkon (lotus root) chips , cut not too thin so you can still taste the root's flavour yet thin enough to be crisp.

The Kitchen

Having only had take-aways from Yuzu since they change management, dining-in gives you an opportunity to taste the daily specials dishes. 

A table next to us had the King Fish Head Nimono (simmered dish) that was on the special board, looked pretty good. One dish that was sold out from the board also was Snapper Head Agemono (fried dish) which I wouldn't have minded trying.

Waddling back home with full tummy...suddenly I remembered.....what happened to having sashimi and sushi ?

Oh well....it's only a few minutes walk to Yuzu...*burp*